Pot contraceptives for men?

By
Reverend Damuzi
on October 6, 2004

A study published in the September 2001 Fertility and Sterility Journal of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine found that sperm have cannabinoid receptors, and that the body produces cannabinoid-like chemicals which are present in semen and vaginal fluids.
Although the study seemed on the verge of explaining why oral sex is so much fun, it instead concluded rather vaguely that, “smoked marijuana could impact reproductive functions in the male and female.” What the study found, in fact, was that a highly specific, laboratory-synthesized endocannabinoid (one of many cannabis chemicals that occur naturally in the body), at doses under or above certain amounts, can cause sperm to speed up or slow down, or can inhibit a sperm’s ability to bind with an egg.

Funded by the pot-hating US National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the study missed the conclusion that very specialized cannabis extracts might one day provide fun and easy to use contraceptives and fertility drugs.

Instead, NIDA hopes to wreck everyone’s fun with SR141716, an anti-drug currently under development by French corporation Sanofi-Synthelabo. According to a story published in New Scientist earlier this year, SR141716 is said to block 75% of marijuana’s effects, making it suitable for forced treatment of cannabis users.

NIDA researchers don’t seem concerned that SR141716 will likely also have an adverse effect on human biological functions, like fertility, which are regulated by naturally occurring cannabis chemicals.